Birth Name: Francis A. Tipene
Place of Birth: St Helen’s Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
Date of Birth: December 1983
Ethnicity:
*father – Tongan, distant Swiss and Samoan
*mother – Māori
Francis Tipene is a funeral director best known for TVNZ’s docu-series The Casketeers. Francis is the son of Francis Muller and Helen Tipene. Helen is Māori, and his father, Francis, is of Tongan descent. Francis was raised by his maternal grandparents, Helen and Wally Tipene. He is married to Kaiora Tipene and has six children. Francis is of Te Aupōuri and Te Rarawa iwi.
Francis stated: “My mother, Helen Tipene, is Māori, and my father, Francis Muller, is of Tongan descent.”
Ancestry/Genealogy:
His maternal grandfather was Walter (Wally) Tipene from Pawarenga, North Island, New Zealand.
His maternal grandmother is Helen Wharewaka, the daughter of Nikora Nicholas Wharewaka and Ngariu Louisa Ruiha Hakopa.
His father Francis Muller is a descendant of Philipp Gotthard Müller from Zug, Switzerland, and his Samoan wife Lauiti’iti (Philomena) ‘O Manono Luatutu from Vava’u, a small island group between Samoa and Tonga. She was the daughter of Luatutu Manono and Ana Fiame who were Samoan. Philipp Müller owned a Copra production business in Tongatapu, Tonga.
Sources:
*Francis mentioning his ancestry: https://e-tangata.co.nz/reflections/that-funeral-director-from-tv/
*Walter Tipene’s obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nzherald-nz/obituary.aspx?pid=187851145
*Story about his ancestor Philipp Gotthard Müller: https://kavafarm.com/kava-family-tradition/
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